What is Chinese TV drama 'Word of Honor'? Why to Watch, Cast, Coming on Netflix

Word of Honor is a thirty-six-episode costume drama based on the popular danmei novel titled Tian Ya Ke by the popular web author Priest. Photo Film Daily

What is "Word of Honor"?

Word of Honor is a thirty-six-episode costume drama based on the popular danmei novel titled Tian Ya Ke by the popular web author Priest.

"Word of Honor" is a costume Wuxia drama - a genre centered on martial artists' stories in ancient China.

The much-anticipated show was an instant success. It aired on Youku in China and was also available relatively quickly to watch on YouTube for others. The first episode on YouTube secured a very quick 5.6 million streams, and since it began the YouTube count is up around the 50-million mark.

It follows the story of Zhou Zishu. He's an elite royal secret service leader, who leaves the bloody past behind to start anew. He meets Wen Kexing, a mysterious martial arts master who is on a journey to avenge his parents' deaths. Entangled by destiny, they embark on an adventure to find a legendary treasure.

Fans' comments on Word of Honor on the internet. Photo Youtube

Zhou Zishu (Zhang Zhehan) is done with his life as leader of The Window of Heaven, an organization that works for Prince Jin, who previously saves the young man’s life. In a rather dramatic effort to leave this life behind, Zhou Zishu finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy among the martial arts community.

He flees the town and travels in (a ridiculous) disguise. Along the way, he meets Wen Kexing (Gong Jun). Quite taken with the young Zhou Zishu, Wen Kexing is currently on a quest to avenge the death of his parents. They end up pairing up and learn many things together about the martial arts world.

Produced by Chinese streaming platform Youku, the show debuted in late February. It soon became a surprise hit, dominating social media trends and earning a rating of 8.6 on Douban, China's popular online rating website.

Word of Honor: Is it coming on Netflix?

Because of its success in China, Word of Honor is now coming to Netflix worldwide. Dropping on May 28th, if you’re into Asian BL, or queer content in general, you’re going to want to watch this show. Here are all the reasons to dive into the latest Chinese BL, Word of Honor.

Hit Chinese TV series Word of Honor will debut on South Korean TV on May 26 with Korean subtitles, Chinese media reported on Tuesday.

An adaptation of Chinese boy's love (BL) novel Tianyake, Word of Honor is an wuxia drama that originally debuted on Chinese streaming platform Youku in 2021. Over its 36 episodes, the show tells the story of two men in the martial arts works, played by actors Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun, who do all they can to help and save each other.

According to Global Times, the drama has earned 8.6/10 high score on Chinese review website Douban, and has captured a lot of Chinese fans for the BL theme following the previous hit drama The Untamed.

The hashtag "Word of Honor set for release in South Korea" earned 120 million views on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo on Wednesday. While many netizens said that the show is a good example of Chinese cultural heading overseas, but a South Korean poster of two protagonists dressed in black and white costumes caused some dissatisfaction among Chinese fans.

"The previous Chinese poster showed the two protagonists' dressed in blue and red, which is the typical color for couples in a drama. But the South Korean poster changed the color, which weakens the sense of 'CP', one Chinese fan surnamed Wu, told the Global Times on Tuesday, adding that when she watched the show she did not see the two protagonists wear black and white clothing. Despite the change to the poster, she said she doesn't anticipate that the show's plots will be changed for the South Korean release.

In addition to South Korea, companies in Thailand and other Asian countries have also purchased the broadcast rights to Word of Honor as has Amazon.

**READ MORE: Complete List Of K-Dramas Premiere on Netflix In 2021

Word of Honor: Why is it hot?

Word of Honor is for anyone loving family trope as there is the accidental acquisition of a child between Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu. It makes them seem like a complete family. They refuse to admit themselves to be parents but do their best for the kid. The drama is all about relieving in every single moment, learning to live fully, and love life. At first, Zishu was only waiting for his death while wandering around. Wen Kexing had a dark past. Later on, they both learnt about being more to life instead of only their sufferings and problems. Every single moment is precious in life for everyone. Well, they had a hard time and took time to understand the same.

One of the most attractive things in the series and Wen Kexing is that there is constant quoting of poetry from him. If someone is interested in knowing about Chinese literature and poetry, then the series is a must-watch one for them. There is always a deeper meaning in Wen Kexing’s quotation. Moreover, one must not forget about the Wuxia. There is a deeper meaning in the leads silent gestures. Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu support one another and also portrays shyness in their mutual trust after they began to know each other. Furthermore, there is a delight in watching the blossoming relationship between Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu.

Word of Honor’s Cast

Zhang Zhehan

Photo Film Daily

This adorable cutie patootie debuted way back in 2010. He’s definitely neither a stranger to acting nor the Chinese entertainment industry. In 2013 he signed on to Yu Zheng productions and has enjoyed steady entertainment work since. That means, there’s an abundance of content to be consumed after you’re done with Word of Honor.

Since the smashing success of Word of Honor, Zhang Zhehan’s popularity has skyrocketed and it is rumored that the young man currently has four new projects pending.

Apart from being exceptionally easy on the eyes, fans around the world have fallen in love with his chaotic, wholesome personality.

Gong Jun

Photo Film Daily

Like his costar, Gong Jun isn’t a stranger to the Chinese entertainment industry. He made his acting debut in 2015 with a costume drama, but it wasn’t too long after that he took his first foray into the world of Chinese BL. In 2017, Gong Jun starred in Advance Braverly, a very well-respected early attempt at BL in China.

Because of the stigma surrounding the queer community, it’s uncommon for Chinese actors to star in more than one show or film that depicts them as a member of the LGBTQ community. It was a welcomed surprise to see Gong Jun stepping back into a queer role for Word of Honor.

Just like his costar, the man is not hard to look at! Also like his costar, fans all around the world seem to have fallen in love with his endearing personality.

Word of Honor: How to Watch

If the international audiences and also interested to watch the Word of Honor Chinese series with English subtitles then the simple and suitable way to watch just to visit the YouTube channel and here watch this series with English subtitles. Also, here there are multiples platform manes are available where you can watch this series of episodes with English subtitles.

-Viki - Free (Sub Title)

-Prime Video - Subscription (sub)

-Youku - Subscription (sub)

A fan of the show, who also happens to be a restaurant owner in New York City, offered discounts to fellow fans, cctv.com reported on Saturday. A "Word of Honor" poster was found at the entrance of the restaurant, with a chalkboard announcing a 12 percent discount on dining for fans. A screenshot of the video showing a restaurant in New York City, U.S., offering discounts to "Word of Honor" fans. /Official Weibo account of cctv.com Photo CCTV It has generally received positive reviews among viewers on YouTube. People from Thailand, the U.S., and Indonesia make up a majority of the foreign fans, according to cctv.com. "I really discovered that so many people like me enjoy this as well through Instagram and Twitter. After watching 'Word of Honor' on Youku, and for that reason knowing that it's the last streaming episode tonight, I want to give everyone here a 12 percent off discount," the shop owner said in the video. "I think it's really a great way for people like me who Chinese wasn't their first language to be able to really enjoy and appreciate the show and culture," she said, adding she likes Chinese culture, food and kung fu. She even began learning Chinese in order to better understand the drama.

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